Kendall Square at MIT – Site 4, Buildings E37, E38

Construction has begun on a Kendall Square project that will bring new graduate student housing to the area as well as a lively innovation center, mixed-use retail, and a new home for MIT Admissions.

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Kendall Square at MIT – Site 4, Buildings E37, E38

290-292 Main Street, Cambridge, MA

Status:In construction

Themes:Innovation and collaborationRenovation and renewalSustainabilityEnhancement of life and learning

Completion:2020

Construction has begun on a Kendall Square project that will bring new graduate student housing to the area as well as a lively innovation center, mixed-use retail, and a new home for MIT Admissions.

Overview

Status

In construction

Completion Date

2020

Themes and priorities

Innovation and collaboration

Renovation and renewal

Sustainability

Enhancement of life and learning

Responding to the need for additional graduate student housing, MIT has embarked on a project in Kendall Square that addresses this need and also creates a vibrant new innovation center as well as a new home for Admissions.

The Site 4 project incorporates two existing buildings on Main Street. E38 will be completely renovated to accommodate ground-floor retail space and the Admissions offices on the second floor. Above these, the building’s five upper floors will be transformed into a new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub: open, multi-use spaces for student makers and entrepreneurs, researchers, and staff, and a new home for the MIT Innovation Initiative.

Next door, E39 will be renovated to include ground-floor retail, two floors of academic office space, and a tower providing 454 housing units (2-bedroom, 1-bedroom, and efficiencies) for MIT graduate students. The housing tower will be anchored by a three-level “Podium” housing a childcare facility, common space for the residents, and an active community and academic space – the Forum – featuring a 200-seat auditorium and movable walls for flexibility in configuration.

In a variety of ways, Site 4 is designed to serve as a bridge between the MIT campus and the City of Cambridge. The entire ground floor of the Forum will feature floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a view of the activity within. When not serving to introduce student applicants to the campus, the Forum will be available to other MIT groups and to the broader Cambridge community. Along its southern side, Site 4 will border a welcoming open space designed to encourage pedestrian traffic, providing trees, landscaping, and seating as well as space for special and seasonal events.

Given its location, the Site 4 project will help power the exchange of ideas by situating MIT problem solvers among industry innovators, and its active ground floor uses are expected to create a dynamic and engaging environment that will add vitality to Kendall Square and MIT’s east campus.

Site 4 will have access to underground parking being developed as part of the Kendall Square project and will provide long-term and short-term bicycle parking. It is targeting LEED v4 Gold certification.

Graduate tower anchored by 3-level “Podium” that provides a host of common areas including quiet study spaces, a family lounge, a playroom, terraces, and multipurpose rooms, as well as The Forum and childcare center mentioned below

New home for MIT Admissions, including a reception area, expansive gathering spaces, meeting rooms, and offices for staff and the dean

200-seat auditorium (The Forum) with floor-to-ceiling windows and movable walls for flexible configuration; its shared programmable space can be used for presentations by Admissions, other MIT groups, or the broader Cambridge community

New childcare center serving the entire MIT community, offering care for toddlers and preschoolers, adjacent to an outdoor playground area shared with the residents

Top five floors of E38 restored and transformed into the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, with open, multiuse spaces for student makers and entrepreneurs, researchers, and staff, and a new home for the MIT Innovation Initiative